LETTER SYMBOLS (lower case)

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

Nelson Mandela

The Progressive International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2016) highlighted the low level of literacy in South Africa when it demonstrated that 78% of South African Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning in any language. PIRLS 2016 – Report (bc.edu) According to the report the research indicated the initial number to be 58% (using pre-PIRLS 2011 Intermediate Benchmark) but it turns out that it is actually 78% (PIRLS Literacy Low International Benchmark). It appears that historically they used the wrong benchmark. 2016 was the first time that the easier PIRLS test (which used to be called pre-PIRLS and is now called PIRLS Literacy) was put on the PIRLS scale. >> Read More

These disturbing revelations inspired research by the Mind Moves Institute. The purpose of the research was to find ways to address poor reading literacy levels in South Africa at grassroots level. The research concluded that pre-reading skills are often, erroneously, taken for granted.

To write, to read and to reason indicate that a learner is progressing
and this is preceded by 7+ years of physical, emotional, social and cognitive development.

 

The logic of brain development shows that function follows structure. The physical structures of the brain and body needs to be targeted as the point of entry to address the gaps in reading literacy at a fundamental level.

Structure	Development		Function

 

At Mind Moves, we believe that education is a social construct and that literacy should be addressed within a social environment that enables stress-free interaction between people of all ages. The first six years of life offer the most ideal conditions to meet these criteria. It is the time frame when language and physical play are spontaneous human behaviours, irrespective of the learner’s socio-economic situation. Thus, the question we asked at Mind Moves is: if play is natural, and if the physical body and language spontaneously develop during play, why have learners not all developed the requisite pre-reading skills that will enable them to become functionally literate?

A social construct is something that exists not in objective reality, but as a result of human interaction. It exists because humans agree that it exists.

CAROL BAINBRIDGE

We at the Mind Moves Institute believe that literacy is learnt behaviour. Where a learner’s physical structure of the brain and body or a learner’s language of learning in the classroom are under-developed (or both), barriers to learning are inevitable (De Jager, Efimov & Efimova, 2020). De Jager, M., Efimov, O. & Efimova, V. 2020. Gravity a missing link in child development. Johannesburg: Mind Moves Publishing.

This Neuro Dynamix programme has been designed for learners who struggle to become proficient readers. The programme is also for the parents and educators who care about them and want to support them.

Neuro Dynamix looks at learning from a neuroscience perspective as embodied cognition – where learning is rooted in the physical body. Hence, the focus in Neuro Dynamix is on physical development through interaction. This programme does not replace therapy but enables parents and teachers to put the basic developmental building blocks in place by stimulating:

• the sensory-motor system, first gross motor then fine motor and
• language, logical reasoning and creative problem solving
• using movement and concrete resources in a playful manner
• for the development of pre-writing and pre-reading skills.

If a learner is language proficient in the language of learning and teaching (LOLT) and has mastered every activity in the Neuro Dynamix programme, then he will be ready to effortlessly leap from concrete learning to letter symbols and the world of writing and reading. At the Mind Moves Institute we follow the natural learning process as modelled by pre-schoolers when they start making marks on paper or in sand to represent their experiences, thoughts and feelings. Creative art in pre-schools (drawing, painting, cutting, gluing, constructing, etc.) is a vital step. It enables a pre-schooler to convert experiences, thoughts and feelings into symbols, a skill that takes at least 3 years to cultivate. It was through observing the natural sequence of creative mark making and the reading of these picture symbols that we understood writing should precede reading.

The English language is based on top to bottom and left to right orientation. It is the basis for both reading and writing.
>> Read More

Well-formed letters and letter combinations focus on starting point and direction.
>> Read More

What does handwriting mean?

Handwriting means the legible formation of letters, words and numerals. The learners must be taught how to form the letters and then practice it.

• It is essential that learners master the skills of handwriting, because although handwriting may be supplemented by technical aids such as the computer, it can never be replaced completely.
• Although learners will develop their own writing style in later years, it is essential that they use the correct pencil grip and are taught to form the letters, the starting point, size, shape, direction of movement and how letters are positioned on/spaced between the lines.
• Learners need to develop a script that is legible and clear, while speed is developed gradually. Handwriting should be seen as the learning and mastering of a handwriting system and the effective use of that mechanical system. At the end of the Foundation Phase all aspects such as correct letter and figure formation, size, spacing, clarity, legibility of print and script should be mastered.
• The basis of good handwriting is repetition.

 

Pre-writing or emergent writing programme.

Before starting to teach formal handwriting in Grade 1, learners should follow a pre-writing programme to develop visual discrimination, gross and fine motor and hand-eye coordination, body image etc. They need to be taught the correct pencil grip, how to form the letters, the starting point, size, shape, direction of movement and how the letters are positioned on/ spaced between the lines. The correct sitting position is also important. Young learners often find difficulty in copying from the board as their eyes need time to refocus from the board to the page in front of them and their short-term visual memory may not be well developed. It helps to give learners writing strips containing a row of letters for the learners to copy during Handwriting.

• Develops small muscle skills through finger play (e.g. play dough, screwing nuts onto bolts).
• Develops fine motor control using scissors to cut out bold outlined pictures, shapes etc.
• Develops eye-hand co-ordination by playing e.g. catching and throwing, drawing and painting.
• Traces simple outlines of pictures, patterns and letters in own name where the correct starting point and direction arrows are included on all letters.
• Forms letters using finger painting, paint brushes, wax crayons etc. starting at the right point and following the correct direction.
• Copies patterns, words and letters (using the correct starting point and direction when forming letters).
• Uses a range of writing tools (e.g. paintbrushes, wax crayons).”

>> Read More

What are Neuro Dynamix Letter Symbols?

Neuro Dynamix Letter Symbols are small wooden squares with one symbol of the alphabet in lower case per square. The letter symbols are positioned on the square in alignment with the size, shape and how letters are positioned on and spaced between the lines. Only letter symbols in lower case are included as Neuro Dynamix focuses on the basics only.

For word building purposes there are the following number of Neuro Dynamix Letter Symbols in the kit:

Numbers of letter are based on frequency of letters used in English and Afrikaans.

Number of Neuro Dynamix Letter Symbols in kit
a	9
b	2
c	2
d	6
e	16
f	2
g	4
h	3
i	9
j	1
k	3
l	4
m	2
n	8
o	8
p	2
q	1
r	6
s	6
t	6
u	4
v	2
w	3
x	1
y	2
z	1
Blank	2

 

What is the purpose of the Neuro Dynamix Letter Symbols?

As the process of writing in this programme is broken down into handwriting and block-writing it offers the learner the opportunity to pay attention to 2 separate aspects of writing:

• the formation and positioning of letters and
• the meaning of those letters in a sequence.

The purpose of the Neuro Dynamix Letter Symbols is to give a learner a concrete and non-threatening opportunity to ‘write’ with the blocks and read what they have written.

CONCRETE multi-sensory perceive real object (cat)	REPRESENTATIONAL auditory say the name (cat)	ABSTRACT visual / tactile (braille) write the word (cat)

 

Suggested Mind Moves before you introduce the Neuro Dynamix Letter Symbols:

Bilateral Integrator Tell the learner to move his arms in a mirror image as though conducting a choir, while holding his head still. You can also encourage the learner to draw geometric shapes while moving the two hands in mirror image, while holding his head still. This is a fun way to develop rhythm, eye-hand coordination, focal and peripheral vision, left and right integration in preparation for fluent speaking, reading and writing. >> Watch Video

Mouse Pad The learner needs to focus on his thumb held at elbow distance from the eyes. He then moves the thumb upwards, first around the left eye and then around the right eye outlining the shape of an infinity sign, while holding his head still. Repeat five times. He now must swop hands and repeat the same process, always first drawing a circle around the left eye and then around the right eye and holding his head still. This move stimulates the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic receptive ability while crossing the midline to integrate the left and right parts of the brain and body. It develops eye-hand coordination and visual integration. >> Watch Video

 

 

Suggested activities for the Neuro Dynamix Letter Symbols:

If a learner is

• proficient in the language of learning and teaching (LOLT),
• has a stable posture and has established laterality,
• can cross the midline and has well-developed fine motor skills,

they are ready to learn how to shape and position the letter symbols using their body as a starting point for every letter.

The teacher or parent should be ready for this part of the programme too as you are about to take the learner on a quantum leap to learn to write and read with confidence. Watch the short video clips to feel confident that you have mastered the starting point, direction and formation of each letter including drawing the infinity sign with the index finger of the non-dominant hand.

>> Watch Video Clips

Fun lowers anxiety and improves learning.

English is a complex language as many letter symbols make more than one sound. Reading should make provision for the different possible sounds for a letter e.g. /y/ in yacht and /y/ in sky, or for a combination of letters that make the same sound e.g. /ai/ as in train and /ay/ as in day. Neuro Dynamix aims to make a learner aware that sounds are written as symbols. Think about this: writing is to record sounds on paper; reading is to listen to which sounds make up the words on paper.

• To keep things simple but interesting, ask the learner to create their own personal phonics chart. They need to get their creative juices flowing and they may not use any words from an existing chart or phonics programme. The purpose is not to promote phonics as it is a questionable approach to learn a non-phonetic language such as English. The purpose is to use a specific sound at the beginning sound of a specific word to learn how to write that specific sound. Download and use MY PERSONAL ALPHABET for this activity. It can take many hours. The more personal the words, the more invested the learner is in their own learning. Refrain from suggesting and prompting. Allow the learner the time to listen to words in their minds, savour them on their tongues and then choose the ones they want on their chart. They may draw or write the words or do both. It is their chart, let them make the rules. NO names of people or places, please! Neuro Dynamix is about basics and focuses on lower case letters only. The learner may ask you to write their words if they are still too young or unsure to write them themselves. Do not rush through this activity. The successful conversion of sound to symbol is an important step towards literacy.
• Once MY PERSONAL ALPHABET is complete ask the learner to read their chart from left to right using the Neuro Dynamix way of referring to a letter. The principle used is:
  the /letter symbol/ in word
  the /a/ in avatar
  the /b/ in burger
  the /c/ in coke
  the /d/ in drone
  the /e/ in emoji
• Kindly refrain from using the generic form of: an a or a b. A letter symbol only has sound within the context of a word.
  
• Use the poster with one stick figure. Explain that it is a picture of the learner facing the paper. They are looking at the back of the head. The learner needs to use their own body as a starting point for every letter. After saying the posture rhyme, put the alphabet poster on the clipboard above eye level, and look at every letter. Start at the top left corner with the /a/ for … (the learner’s word). Ask the learner to use the tip of a red felt-tipped pen to make a dot to show the starting point of each letter on their body on the poster. Encourage the learner to say: “I am important because all the letters in the whole wide world start on me.” Stop after a few letters and do the Mind Moves Arm Workout to stretch the tension out while breathing slowly and deeply. Repeat the previous letter symbols to consolidate before moving on. Remember the / / in word
  Quicker is not better, master one letter symbol before they attempt the next one.
• Use the poster with one stick figure. Ask the learner to look at the alphabet poster on the clipboard, make a red dot where a letter symbol would start on the body on the poster with one stick figure. Write each of the letter symbols on the figure with the index finger of their dominant hand to feel the letter without the pressure of seeing if they have done it perfectly or not. Say the / / in word while starting the letter on their body and shaping it. Use the index finger of the non-dominant hand to draw an infinity sign starting on their body, go up and to the left, around, up through the midline and to the right. This is challenging for most learners. Start with all the letters that are shaped to the left. Do the first few letters together to solidify the rules: start on the body; in the correct place; be sure in which direction to move; complete the letter symbol with the index finger of the dominant hand; complete an infinity sign with the index finger of the non-dominant hand. Once the learner can write a letter symbol correctly and with confidence with their index finger, ask them to use a black or blue felt-tipped pen to write the letter on the poster with one stick figure. When done, encourage the learner to look up to check their figure against the figure on the poster that is on the clipboard and above eye level. Record how many letters the learner could figure out and position correctly. Make a note of which letters those were. Remind the learner to say the / / in word.
• Progress to the letters started and shaped on the figure and followed by the letters that are shaped to the right.
• Repeat this activity until the learner has correctly positioned each and every letter of the alphabet. Indicate the date and number of new letters, but continue to repeat the position and formation of all the previous letters too. Remember repetition builds pathways.
  • Put away the poster with one figure.
  • Remove the poster with all the letters and replace with the poster of all the letters shaped to the left of the learner.
  • Use the Neuro Dynamix Matching and Sorting Board and the Neuro Dynamix Letter Symbols.
  • Place the little blocks to the left of the learner irrespective of which hand is dominant.
  • Find all the blocks with letters shaped towards the left and place them in one box.
  • Say the / / in word as the learner puts a block in a box. The learner may look at the poster to confirm.
• Remove the poster and replace with the poster of all the letters shaped on the learner. Find all the blocks with letters shaped on the learner and place them in one box. The learner may look at the poster to confirm. Remove the poster and replace with the poster of all the letters shaped to the right of the learner. Find all the blocks with letters shaped to the right of the learner and place them in one box. The learner may look at the poster to confirm.
• Ask the learner if they would like to make any changes to their MY PERSONAL ALPHABET. They can create a whole new chart, or just change some words or leave it as is. Converting sound into letter symbols is complex. Fun lowers anxiety and improves learning.
• Use the two clocks and set the static clock 10 minutes ahead of the current time to allow the learner 10 minutes to repeat the activity above. Record the time if the learner has beaten the clock, and count the number of blocks that remained once the 10 minutes are up.
• Repeat this activity again without the help of the three posters. Note the time or number of blocks left after 10 minutes. Discuss the learner’s progress.
• Place the blocks to the left of the learner irrespective of which hand is dominant. Place the poster with all the letters of the alphabet on the clipboard and above eye level. The learner may look up to read the poster saying the / / in word. Set your alarm and time how long it takes the learner to sort the letters into three boxes according to where on the body the letter is: body only (a, c, e, i, m, n, o, e, s, u, v, w, x, z). This is an example of grouping according to a single characteristic. Sort according to head and body (b, d, f, h, k, l, t) or body and legs (g, j, q, p, y) are examples of grouping according to multiple characteristics. Record the date and time.
• Repeat the activity with the intention of doing it faster. Record the date and time.
• Repeat the activity with the intention of doing it faster, but without the poster on the clipboard. The learner does not need to remember, the learner needs to be able to reason it out. Record the date and time.
• Repeat the activity with the intention of doing it faster. Record the date and time.
• If a learner struggles, STOP before frustration levels peak. Go back to a less challenging activity and work your way towards this last activity.
• This is transition time! The learner starts to look at a word and copy the sequence of letter symbols while saying the whole word. Take all the blocks and place them to the left of the learner. Use the clipboard and the MIND DYNAMIX Letter Symbols to build words. Build a word by placing the blocks on the ledge of the clipboard. Ask the learner to look at the word that you have built, say what it says and then build the word on the desk. The learner is only allowed to look at the word once and then they need to search for the letters in the pile to their left and build the word in front of them. Encourage the learner to look up and check that their word is correct. Read the word aloud. Increase the number of letters in a word to match the learner’s level of ability and then challenge them again. The learner can also challenge you.
• Encourage the learner to write every word in their MY PERSONAL ALPHABET.
• Use a book. Any book. Ask the learner to find a difficult word. Look in the book and find the letter blocks to write that word. Ask the learner to turn the book over and build the word on the ledge of the clipboard. Turn the book over and ask the learner to compare and correct if necessary. Ask the learner to look at the word on the clipboard, take a photo with their eyes and build the word on the table by finding the blocks and building the word on the table without looking up. Once done, compare and correct or celebrate progress.

These activities can be continued for years to come by constantly increasing the challenge level with the length and complexity of a word. This method is also helpful to master a second language and new terminology in subjects that are difficult to remember.

 

What skills relate to Neuro Dynamix LETTER SYMBOLS?

The skills that led up to the use of Neuro Dynamix Letter Symbols started with feet flat on the floor, ankles, knees and hips at 90˚ angles, back upright and head held above the spine. This implies that the learner’s proprioception, sensory-integration, laterality and muscle tone have developed sufficiently to effortlessly maintain their posture while orienting themselves in space.

With proficiency in the language of learning and teaching (LOLT) the learner’s level of confidence and motivation has increased. They are curiously scanning the environment to decide what they would like to pay attention to. Their auditory and visual perception has been honed to ignore what is irrelevant and focus on what is relevant.

The learner can now:

• Sit up
• Sit still
• Be quiet
• Work faster
• Work neater
• Start thinking
• Start questioning
• Debate eloquently
• Write in ways that say:
• Here I am. What can I do to help? How can we work together?